teamwork makes the comics work

Author Nick Seluk opens himself up to readers to show how his brain and his heart work together in harmony. A lot. Well, sometimes. On occasion, they do. Or they’re trying. Except of course when they’re not. In his latest collection of comics, he uses panels about the different ways his brain and his heart have of interacting with the world to talk about his anxiety, his challenges, his love of comfort food, his self-sabotage, and his commitment to growth.

These charming characters show the interworkings of an artist and a human with mental health struggles, from the brain struggling to stay on track (until an ancient embarrassing memory resurfaces) to the heart wanting to have fun to the tongue wanting dessert to the colon wanting to . . . do what the colon does best. There is a lot of honesty in these comics, but there is also a lot of humor and humanity. I think any reader can find something to connect with, no matter where they are on life’s path.

Seluk went through some very difficult times before he wrote this book. He had professional disappointments and personal ones, and through these comics and the introductions, he’s very open about how much he struggled and what he had to do to get back on his feet. His growth is inspiring, and the way he can express his thoughts and his feels and his ups and his downs through his art is engaging and compelling.

Heart and Brain Onward to Good Things is such a charming book. The illustrations are bright and colorful, filled with life and sweetness and candor. There are moments of pain and avoidance and bad choices. But there is also hope and laughter and camaraderie and ice cream. Being an adult in the world is hard, but books like this can help us all feel less alone and broken. We all struggle with our own issues. We can’t all express ourselves as creatively as Seluk can, but we can find encouragement and healing from his art, and I for one am grateful to him for sharing his heart and his brain with the world.

Egalleys for Heart and Brain Onward to Good Things were provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks.